O'Sullivan's Island Site

On June 18, 2008, the Valley Council of Governments asked EPA for help getting rid of soil left on site at O'Sullvian's Island during two cleanups from 1983 to 1985. The earlier cleanups were done to address about 900 buried 55-gallon drums at the site. About 200 cubic yards of PCB-contaminated soil that was excavated during the earlier drum removal were left in a fenced area because there was no appropriate off-site disposal facilities at that time. In Aug. 2008 EPA concluded that the area should be cleaned as quickly as possible.

In Oct. 2008, EPA and its contractors consolidated the two piles being stored on-site, which included about 200 cubic yards of PCB-contaminated soil, for removal and disposal off-site. Ultimately, 20 truck-loads of PCB contaminated soils from the two piles were sent off-site for disposal in New York State. Additional surface soil sampling was conducted to ensure any potential migration of contamination from these piles were also removed. Based upon the additional sampling results, it was determined that surface soil contaminated with PCBs was more wide spread than the footprint of the two soil piles. While excavating the additional contaminated soil in early 2009, contractors found intact and crushed 55-gallon drums as well. Soil excavation was stopped until the cleanup workers could see how many buried drums there were. In the first test pit, they found an empty, partially crushed 1,000-gallon storage tank and portions of crushed drums. All intact drums were put in bigger containers on site. EPA's mobile laboratory was onsite to provide field screening analytical support.

In April 2009, contractors continued digging up contaminated soil. Overall, approximately 14,000 tons of additional contaminated soil and about 50 exposed and degraded 55-gallon drums were shipped to EPA-approved disposal facilities. The O'Sullivan's Island area, owned by the City of Derby, Conn., includes approximately seven acres of land, and is currently used primarily for recreational purposes, including fishing and walking.

*The information contained on this website is merely informational; any dates found on the website cannot be relied upon to create any rights, substantive or procedural, enforceable by any party in litigation with the United States. EPA reserves the right to change such dates at any time without public notice.